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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23016802">Messiah Program</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH'>NanakiBH</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy Type-0</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Ending, Digital World, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Metafiction, Self-Sacrifice, Spoilers, Time Loop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:34:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23016802</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How were they supposed to save a world that refused to be saved?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ace/Jack (Final Fantasy Type-0)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Messiah Program</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I thought it was kind of strange that the game encourages you to play the game again with NG+ even though you could get the "true" ending in the first playthrough. You helped the class escape from the Spiral, but... Now you're making them fight in the war all over again? I don't know if Tabata considered the metanarrative of that decision (but I think Nomura might have, if you know what I mean. If you don't know what I mean... That's fine. Play Kingdom Hearts Union X.)</p><p>The only context you need for this fic is that it occurs at the start of a NG+ scenario. It's all our fault.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of gunfire and explosions surrounded them on every side. What had once been a town where people lived had become a battlefield; buildings bitten to the bone by bullets, homes reduced to unrecognizable piles of rubble, bodies littering the streets like trash with their names and existences forgotten. Their world was the home of war. Anyone who tried to live there was simply trying to coexist with the hostility of a world that rejected them.</p><p>	Laying on his back in the middle of it all, Jack imagined an undefeatable red sky beyond the clouds of black smoke.</p><p> </p><p>	“What are you doing?” King shouted. “Leave him!”</p><p> </p><p>	Jack turned his head toward Ace who was kneeling by his side and gave him a feeble smile. King glanced at the two of them as he kept an eye out for more soldiers. He fired, striking down three who were heading their way, and reloaded his guns.</p><p>	Jack knew that they couldn't wait for him. His legs had been shot, and their healing magic wasn't strong enough to handle severe injuries. He could hardly stand, much less use his sword in that condition. He had to wait for one of the others in the reserve squad to take his place. Hopefully they'd have some stronger magic...</p><p>	There was a look in Ace's eyes that felt familiar and strangely distant. It was something... painful.</p><p>	It hurt.</p><p>	For some reason, that expression hurt more than his wounds. It went deep and made Jack feel something he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before. He thought that everyone looked better with a smile, but Ace especially. Ace's sadness was an uncommon kind of sadness, the kind their world didn't allow.</p><p>	“You heard the man. You better get a move on. I'm just dead weight like this.”</p><p>	Ace shook his head. He lifted a trembling hand and hesitated for a moment before placing it on his shoulder.</p><p>	“I-... Jack...”</p><p>	King's eyes narrowed. His patience wearing thin, he clicked his tongue and departed toward the sound of incoming gunfire.</p><p>	Gritting his teeth against the unbearable pain in his legs, Jack struggled to sit up. Ace grabbed him under his arms and helped drag him closer to the side of the road where he could rest against the pieces of a broken building. Had he been alone, he would have been doubled over, crying in pain, but he didn't want to look uncool in front of one of his classmates.</p><p>	Actually, he just didn't want anyone to worry about him.</p><p>	He thought that if he kept smiling and acting like it didn't hurt, Ace would assume that he still had the energy to defend himself. He didn't want him to think that if he left, he would've been leaving him there to die.</p><p>	It didn't seem to be working. He got the sense that Ace wasn't going to leave.</p><p>	“C-come on. You're kinda freaking me out. It's not like I'm gonna die, y'know? Not permanently, anyway. Hey, and even if I did die, it's not like you'd have to worry. The Crystal would scrub me from your memory, so you wouldn't feel any regrets. No memories, no prob.”</p><p>	“That's besides the point, isn't it?” Ace said, a stubborn crease forming between his brows.</p><p>	“Is it?” Jack muttered, confused. He understood why King had lost his patience. “Look, I'm just gonna wait here 'til Deuce catches up. She can fix me up, so don't worry 'bout me.”</p><p>	“There are Militesi soldiers swarming this area! If you stay here, you'll...!”</p><p>	“Yeah? And? As long as you still have two good legs, you can keep going and complete the mission. When you return to Akademeia, I'll be there like always. That's what separates us from regular cadets.”</p><p>	He thought that much was obvious. It wasn't news. Ace should have known that.</p><p>	If one of them ever fell in battle, Mother would revive them, so they had nothing to fear. It had already happened dozens of times. It was a little embarrassing to get wiped out, but that was the worst of it.</p><p>	Ace was acting like it would be the end of the world.</p><p>	“What's gotten into you? Seriously, are you trying to get on King's nerves or something? I bet he's still waiting for you up ahead. If you keep him waiting, he's gonna be-”</p><p> </p><p>	“I don't care about that!”</p><p> </p><p>	His voice rose above the sounds of war and settled into a strange, numb type of silence that left Jack's ears ringing as if a bomb had gone off next to his head. He closed his mouth, forgetting the words that had been on his tongue. Ace also looked shell shocked, like he was surprised by the unexpectedly impassioned sound of his own voice.</p><p>	He lowered his head and dropped his gaze, shoulders slumping.</p><p>	“Is this because of that guy? Machina's brother?”</p><p>	Ace looked up.</p><p>	“How did you...?”</p><p>	“I dunno. Déjà vu?” Jack laughed and shrugged. “Nah. Not really. Can't call something déjà vu if you saw it coming.”</p><p>	Ace's eyes wandered the dusty ground as he held his chin in thought. Jack watched Ace's other hand where a card appeared and anxious spun around and around.</p><p>	Izana was Machina's brother. Jack couldn't remember why he remembered him. He didn't think he'd known him like Ace had – but even the fact that he remembered that Ace had known him was something strange. Somewhere in his mind, those things were facts. He couldn't tell if they were memories or prophecies of the future. Either way, it wasn't like they were useful. Something told him that even if he'd remembered him sooner, it never would have been soon enough.</p><p>	Izana had died before. More than once.</p><p>	Every time, Ace was left that way; different than he'd been before, shaken by something he wasn't supposed to remember.</p><p>	“What's... happening?” Ace said quietly, his voice a shaky whisper.</p><p>	“Beats me.”</p><p>	It was probably for the best not to think about it, but Jack couldn't help but think about it. All he wanted was a peaceful life with peaceful thoughts. He didn't want to have to deal with such complicated, confusing things. He wasn't smart enough to figure it out. It wasn't fair to put such heavy thoughts in his head when he didn't even know what to do with them.</p><p>	He didn't want to think about it. When he thought about it, it was like his mind opened up, revealing more things that he didn't know that he knew. Thousands of faces and thousands of screaming voices. He couldn't smile when he saw their blood on his hands.</p><p>	It wasn't his fault.</p><p>	It was destined.</p><p>	Their names, faces, and screams were all kind of irrelevant, weren't they? The soldiers who found themselves upon his blade were just a number in the Akashic Records, their fates predetermined by the past. The same, probably, could have even been said for him and Ace.</p><p>	He had the feeling he knew where they were heading. It was a path they'd followed before.</p><p> </p><p>	“You mind if I say something real crazy?” he asked.</p><p>	“I have a feeling I already know what you're going to say, but... Go on.”</p><p>	Jack took in a deep breath, trying to keep his thoughts focused in spite of the pain. He curled his hands into fists in the dirt and slowly let out his breath. He knew that what he was going to say would sound absurd, but he had faith that Ace would listen.</p><p>	Still, to say it out loud, it made him feel like he was going to defy the world for the very first time.</p><p>	“Haven't we already kinda... ended the war before? I wasn't just dreaming, was I? Like, I could've sworn...” He shook his head, assailed by glimpses of things he didn't want to recall. “Why isn't it over? Or... Maybe I should ask, why is it here again? Why are we still fighting?”</p><p> </p><p>	Ace's face was pale.</p><p> </p><p>	Jack already wished he hadn't said anything. He didn't mean to upset him.</p><p>	He just couldn't stand being the only one.</p><p> </p><p>	But he knew. Just by looking at Ace's face, he could tell that he'd been wondering the same thing. It was like the Crystal was gradually losing its effect on them. Or something.</p><p>	It was making Ace miserable. Jack was already used to enduring the worst of the worst. He wished he could take that pain away from him and put it upon himself. He didn't mind suffering a little more if it was for the sake of someone else. He would always find a way to forge another smile.</p><p>	If Ace remembered Izana, then he probably remembered a lot of other things, too.</p><p>	That was why Ace refused to leave him. His heart was already burdened by regret, and he was afraid of having more.</p><p> </p><p>	“Do you think the others have realized?” Ace asked.</p><p>	“If they haven't, we probably shouldn't say anything.”</p><p> </p><p>	What were they supposed to say, anyway?</p><p>	<i>“Oh hey, yeah, so... As it turns out, we're stuck in a time loop! We already saved the world, but now we gotta save it all over again for some reason!”</i></p><p>	Yeah right.</p><p>	If the whole class knew that their efforts were in vain, then they'd have no reason to keep going. They weren't the types who'd just give up and accept annihilation, but what were they supposed to do if they knew that their actions were meaningless? How were they supposed to save a world that refused to be saved?</p><p>	At the edge of Jack's memory, there was only darkness. In the end, he and the others... They died, and then the credits rolled.</p><p>	For all he knew, maybe there really was something after the war, but he'd never seen it.</p><p>	He was there again. For one reason or another, he was there again.</p><p>	“If that's true...,” Ace said shakily, staring at the ground. “If we've already ended the war before, then...”</p><p>	Jack smiled bitterly.</p><p>	“What, do you think there's something we can do? I don't remember when this war really began or if it ever had a beginning. All I know is that I've been here before more than once, and I've seen the end, too. Maybe this time's different, or maybe it's not.” He closed his eyes with a sigh, the smile slipping from his face. “It's been different before. I've fought with different weapons. We've had different classmates. It's all weirdly cohesive in my mind, but I know the memories don't belong next to each other, like they all came from different lifetimes.”</p><p>	“Were we allowed to remember? Was this the Crystal’s will? Or, maybe it was Mother's doing...?”</p><p>	“Neither, probably. I think we're special.”</p><p>	Ace lifted his head and stared at him with a shocked look on his face. “You don't think Mother knows about this?”</p><p>	“I can't say for sure, but... I don't think she'd do something like this.”</p><p> </p><p>	She loved them.</p><p>	She heard their wish and set them free. She wouldn't have brought them back again.</p><p> </p><p>	There was something else holding them there...</p><p>	But what?</p><p>	If it wasn't the Crystal's will nor Mother's, then...</p><p> </p><p>	Maybe it was the world itself which refused to let their story end.</p><p> </p><p>	“This is quite troubling, isn't it?” Ace said, letting out a small laugh. “On one hand, at least now we know that Tempus Finis isn't the end of everything. But on the other, it sort of feels like the world can't exist without us. Rather, we exist for the sake of the world. It sounds really self-centered to think of it that way, but...”</p><p>	“Nah, I hear ya. Seems like the world agrees that Class Zero are more important than anyone else.”</p><p>	Ace sighed. It seemed like he didn't like hearing it put in those terms.</p><p>	It was the truth, though. It had to be. Class Zero had always been put on a pedestal, elevated above everyone. They were Mother's precious children, the pride of Akademeia, the cadets destined to become Agito, the world's legendary savior. As far as Jack could recall, however, no one had ever successfully become Agito.</p><p>	“Jack?”</p><p>	“Huh? Oh-... Sorry. Just thinking.” He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, wincing and whining when the movement caused him pain.</p><p>	At least that got a smile from Ace.</p><p>	Jack didn't want to worry him with what he was thinking.</p><p> </p><p>	If they were so great and special, then he wanted to become Agito for real. Whatever that meant, he was sure that it was a burden he didn't want to let the others face. He'd find the way out of their world, to a place where they'd be unchained from their destiny to repeat history.</p><p>	Wasn't that what Mother said...? The memory of her future words resounded in the reaches of his mind.</p><p>	To go beyond the void.</p><p>	That was the true purpose of Agito.</p><p> </p><p>	“I wanna have a talk with Mother about this.”</p><p>	Ace's eyes widened. “Are you sure?”</p><p>	“Why? Do you think we can't trust her?”</p><p>	Ace glanced away, nervously clutching the card between his fingers. “I'm not sure. I think I'm starting to doubt everything, even Mother...”</p><p>	“Hey, don't be like that,” Jack said, hoping to ease Ace's mind. “It's not like I don't understand where your doubt comes from – she sure is a mysterious person, isn't she? I'm sure there's gotta be a whole lotta things Mother knows that she hasn't told us... But I don't think that makes her a bad person. I bet she's trying to understand this world just like we are. If she knew about this, then, like, I totally understand why she kept it from us. Y'know what I mean?”</p><p>	Slowly, after a moment of thought, Ace nodded.</p><p>	Nothing had changed. It was just that they knew more than they were supposed to.</p><p> </p><p>	He wanted them to have the future they envisioned – the one where they'd explore the pages of fables and watch how flowers bloom. It seemed almost impossible, but he wasn't going to abandon their dream, no matter how difficult it would be to make it come true.</p><p>	If they could dream it, then it had to exist somewhere. In some future, there was a new Orience where everyone could truly live in peace and harmony without even the thought of war; a pure world, untouched by darkness.</p><p>	If he had to eliminate darkness itself, then that's what he'd do.</p><p>	By becoming the true Agito, his blade would be strong enough to write that future.</p><p> </p><p>	“I'm still worried about you, Jack,” Ace said.</p><p>	“Huh? Why?”</p><p>	“Do you really not understand?” he asked, his expression awash with deep concern. “You're going to try to solve this by yourself, aren't you? I can't let you do that. I know about this, too, so I have a responsibility to help you.”</p><p>	Jack sighed.</p><p>	Ace was perceptive. He should've realized that he wasn't going to fool him.</p><p>	“What are you trying to say, that my friends are my power? That's pretty corny, even for you, Ace,” he said, trying to keep at least the sound of his voice lighthearted. “Fluffy feelings like that are nice 'n' all, but I already know that the power of friendship ain't enough to get us through something like this. It never worked before, did it?”</p><p>	Really, there was no way to word it more kindly. As soon as the words left his mouth, he watched the way they made Ace's expression darken. He had little doubt that Ace was remembering their final moments together as a class. Before that time, they hadn't really thought of each other as friends; they were just students in the same class who had to work together. Their fear of the unknown was what brought them together in the end.</p><p>	Even if they were forced to start all over from the beginning, Jack got the feeling that that bond hadn't been broken.</p><p>	But he was willing to unlink himself from the others if it meant that he could keep the rest of them together.</p><p>	“As a member of Class Zero, I understand what you're saying,” Ace said. “But as me – as just Ace – I can't agree with it.”</p><p>	There was nothing left that Jack could say. If he opened his mouth again, it would have been to lie, but he knew that Ace would have seen right through him.</p><p>	He was too tired to keep resisting. He just wanted to close his eyes.</p><p>	Exhausted, he rolled his head back and tried to relax the muscles in his legs. It did little to ease the pain. He couldn't keep it from showing on his face.</p><p>	“If you really wanna help me, then... Isn't this enough for now? You don't have to do anything impressive.” He turned his head toward Ace and tried his hardest to offer him a smile, though he knew it couldn't have been a very convincing one. “I think you understand why I wanted you to leave, but... I want you to know that it also made me really happy – the fact that you stayed.”</p><p>	Although his own smile remained half-formed, it spread to Ace's face where it blossomed for real.</p><p>	Ace sat next to him in the dirt and linked his hands together over his knees.</p><p>	“You know... You're a lot stronger than you look, and you're smarter and more ambitious than you pretend to be, too. More than anything else, you have a good heart. I don't mean for you to take this as my endorsement, but... If there were just one of us who had the real potential to become Agito, I feel like it would be you, Jack.”</p><p>	Jack wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was a compliment, for sure, but becoming Agito sounded like both a blessing and a curse. It was a huge responsibility, wasn't it? As far as he was concerned, there were definitely other members of their class who were more qualified. The job totally didn't suit him. But he also couldn't let anyone else handle it.</p><p> </p><p>	He closed his eyes and let his shoulder lean heavily against Ace's.</p><p> </p><p>	“I'm tired of fighting and thinking... I just wanna rest now... and have a nice dream...”</p><p>	He could feel Ace's eyes upon him and knew that they were probably full of concern.</p><p> </p><p>	Deuce was taking her good ol' time, huh...</p><p> </p><p>	“Jack...” There was hesitation in his voice again.</p><p>	A moment passed and Jack felt something soft against his temple – a kiss, maybe.</p><p>	“Sweet dreams.”</p><p> </p><p>	As he drifted along the borderline between dreams and death, Jack followed the fragrance of blooming flowers toward the future where their new world was dawning.</p>
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